THEBE Reed has announced
topics of discussion for
the forums, conferences,
seminars and lectures that
will accompany the three
co-located shows making up
Africa Travel Week, including
World Travel Market (WTM)
Africa. Topics covered will
include responsible tourism,
sustainable business, tourism
education and technology.
The event programme
accompanying WTM Africa,
WTM Vision, will include
the Euromonitor Regional
Trends Report, a keynote
session delivered by the
Digital Tourism Think Tank
and a dedicated responsible
tourism programme, which
will form a key component of
the education sessions and
include speakers, Wilfred
Cheval of Dyer Island Cruises
and Marine Dynamics; AnneKathrin
Zschiegner of the
Zeitz Foundation; Fabrice
Leclercq, ceo TRIP Ghana, and
Anne van der Tuuk of Abang
Africa Travel.
The African Business Travel
Association will also host
sessions on the broad range
of developments, challenges
and opportunities impacting
the African business travel
industry. A dedicated panel
headed by Kamilla Swart,
associate professor of the
Department of Tourism and
Events Management at the
Cape Peninsula University
of Technology, will discuss
challenges faced by the
tourism industry in education.
Meanwhile, Thebe Reed is
calling on travel professionals
to get behind WTM Africa.
“The World Bank has
predicted that sub-Saharan
Africa’s economic growth
should accelerate to more
than five percent over the next
three years, far outpacing the
global average, with increased
investment, high commodity
prices and a pick-up in the
global economy driving this
expected growth surge,”
says Sugen Pillay, business
development director of Thebe
Reed Exhibitions. There are
business opportunities for
both inbound and outbound
trade in Africa, he adds.
Thebe Reed has found it
challenging to convince the
local travel industry that the
event caters directly for its
interests but Sugen says
the aim of WTM Africa is to
address the broad needs of
the industry – for both inbound
and outbound travel in Africa.
“WTM will provide a platform
for industry professionals to
interact with a large number of
international exhibitors such
as the Dubai Department
of Tourism and Commerce
Marketing, Atout France,
Botswana Tourism, Hilton
Worldwide, RezLive.” He says
travel professionals will also
find value in the full event
programme of informative and
educational sessions.
